Surprisingly, Colorado won the Big XII North in 2004. As a reward, they are the only Big XII North team ranked for 2005. We're not sure if that's saying much. Regardless, a large supply of returning veterans will help make coach Gary Barnett's job a little easier, at least on the field. QB Joel Klatt continues to improve and force defenses to respect the Buff's passing game. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the conference's next-to-last pass defense needs some assurance. CB Terrence Wheatley and a cast of juniors and seniors should better this statistic the next time around. RB Bobby Purify's departure leaves a handful of unproven sophomores to carry the load. Expect FB/VB Lawrence Vickers to garnish a majority of carries. Colorado is going to most likely finish unranked at the conclusion of 2004 while teetering on the "Others Receiving Votes" category. With us, 17 returning starters - including a veteran QB - gets them a few more votes and a higher ranking.